Sarah Healy wins thrilling 1500m final in battle with rival Sophie O ...
Sarah Healy is far too polite an athlete to talk of revenge, too averse to hyperbole to call this redemption, but as the Dubliner reversed placings from the recent European U-23 final, taking down Sophie O’Sullivan in an unforgettable 1,500m final at the Irish Athletics Championships, we can say this: it was a reminder, as if needed, of her immense courage and class.
O’Sullivan outkicked Healy to lead a historic Irish 1-2 in Finland and Healy was intent on blunting her rival’s speed this time, hammering the second lap in Santry, taking O’Sullivan to a place she’d rather not go. But O’Sullivan went there, with Healy deciding to soon hold fire, letting the pace slow to a crawl with a lap to run. With 250m left, O’Sullivan attacked, but this time it was different, Healy powering away to take gold in 4:11.39, with O’Sullivan second in 4:12.00. A true classic.
“It didn’t go according to plan, no one really had any interest in going out hard so I was weighing it up in my mind about whether to go,” said Healy. “I was very nervous and dropped a quick second lap, it was very erratic but I felt good coming into the last lap. The last 10 metres I was like, ‘surely someone’s coming.’”
This time, though, they weren’t.
Sarah Lavin made it a memorable weekend by claiming 100m gold in a PB of 11.53 against a 1.6m/s headwind. Her coach had given her a choice for what to do with her Sunday, having won the 100m hurdles on Saturday: a session of 150-metre reps or three rounds of the 100m. She chose the latter as it involved “a lot less pain”.
“I was pretty nervous for that one, the wind was nasty,” said Lavin, before hurrying off to the gym to crank out a weights session.
Brian Fay unleashed a vicious last lap of 55 seconds to rout the field in the men’s 5000m, clocking 13:39.20. The men’s 1500m produced a cracker, with teenage star Nick Griggs getting pacing help from training partner Callum Morgan as he tried to chase World Championship qualification, with Griggs taking over after 800m, outkicked in the end by Clonliffe’s Cathal Doyle, who clocked 3:40.11.
Reece Ademola produced the standout performance in the field, the Leevale 20-year-old putting his letdown at the recent European U23 Championships behind him when soaring to an Irish U-23 record of 7.96m. The women’s 5,000m produced an upset as Íde Nic Dhomnaill of West Limerick produced a dazzling final 600m to claim her first national title in 15:44.81. Thomas Barr was once again a class apart to win his 11th 400m hurdles title in 49.83.
“I’ve been trying out a new stride pattern, I’ve never gotten 13 strides to hurdle eight so I did that today and it was a mini victory,” said Barr.
On the same day her cousin, Dean Rock, was celebrating down the road in Croke Park, Jessica Tappin struck gold in the women’s 400m hurdles. The Clonliffe Harrier switched her allegiance from Britain to Ireland this year, a move inspired by her late grandmother, a Dubliner. John Fitzsimons was a highly impressive winner of the men’s 800m in 1:47.13, with longtime leader and Irish 1500m record holder Andrew Coscoran fading to fifth in 1:48.67. Louise Shanahan was also a class apart in the women’s 800m, blasting to victory in 2:03.12. Sligo’s Chris O’Donnell showed his rivals a clean pair of heels to win the men’s 400m in 45.96, his “best run of the year. Sharlene Mawdsley was equally impressive in the women’s 400m, winning easily in 51.94.
